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Al-Kebir Mosque
The oldest buildings in the city are located in the downtown and port area. The dilapidated Al-Kebir Mosque has a curiously un-Islamic minaret resembling nothing so much as a provincial English town clock tower.
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Arab Market
You'll get a feel for Haifa's grizzled old Christian-Arab quarter, Wadi Nisnas, as your roam around the Arab Market. The sandy block architecture, heavily laden donkey carts and smells of cumin and cardamom firmly place Haifa back in the Middle East. The market displays of public art, hardware shops, narrow alleys and plenty of felafel stands to suppress your hunger. In December and January there is a unique ongoing festival here that celebrates Hanukkah, Christmas and Ramadan.
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Baha'i Gardens
With every tree trimmed to perfection and every blade of grass seemingly cut to the exact same height, the 18 terraces of the Baha'i Gardens are truly a sight to behold.
The gardens are one of the two great holy places for members of the Baha'i faith, an independent movement that originated in Persia in the middle of the 19th century. The Baha'i are based in the area because the faith's founder, Baha'ullah spent 25 years imprisoned in nearby Akko.
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Bat Galim Beach
Ports tend to make a mess of the coast so it's not too surprising that Haifa's beaches are infamously toxic and strewn with garbage. Case in point is Bat Galim Beach , considered one of the best surf breaks in the country and host to international competitions - surfers constantly lament its piles of rusting metal, bricks, concrete, disused furniture and other refuse.
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Beit HaGefen Arab-Jewish Centre
The Beit HaGefen Arab-Jewish Centre sponsors joint Arab-Jewish social activities. It could be worth a visit - check to see if there are any social events or lectures during your stay.
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Biological Museum
Within the grounds of the zoo you can also enter the Biological Museum . Hours for the museum are the same as the zoo and one ticket is good for all the sites in the zoo grounds including the M Stekelis Museum of Prehistory and the Natural History Museum.
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Carmel Hai Bar
The Carmel Hai Bar is a functioning wildlife preserve where wild goats, wild sheep and deer are bred and monitored until they can be released into the wild. The entrance to the reserve is on Rte 672, about 300m past the Haifa University. It's a good idea to call first as hours are sporadic.
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Chagall Artists' House
A block west of the Haifa Art Museum, and on the corner of Herzlia St, is the Chagall Artists' House which displays the work of contemporary Israeli artists.
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Clandestine Immigration & Navy Museum
The Clandestine Immigration & Navy Museum may sound a bit bland but it's actually quite fascinating and worth a visit. The museum deals with the successes and failures of the Zionists' illegal attempts to infiltrate into British-blockaded Palestine in the 1930s and '40s. The centrepiece of the museum (quite literally - the building has been constructed around it) is a boat, the Af-Al-Pi-Chen (Hebrew: Nevertheless), whose hold carried 434 refugees to Palestine in 1947.
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Dado Beach
Ports tend to make a mess of the coast so it's not too surprising that Haifa's beaches are infamously toxic and strewn with garbage. Dado Beach is quite clean.
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Dagon Grain Silo & Museum
There is no reason to visit the port area, unless you are catching a ferry to Cyprus or have a keen interest in seeing Israel's entrepôt for grain. The enormous Dagon Grain Silo & Museum is the distinctive fortresslike construction on Ha'atzmaut St that dominates the skyline of lower Haifa. There's a museum within the plant where you can take a free guided tour to learn something about the other oldest profession: the cultivation, handling, storing and distribution of grain.
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Elijah's Cave
One of Israel's holiest sites (a holy place for three faiths), Elijah's Cave is where the prophet Elijah is believed to have hidden from King Ahab and Queen Jezebel after he slew the 450 priests of Ba'al (Kings 1:17-19).
There is also a Christian tradition that the Holy Family sheltered here on their return from Egypt, hence the alternative Christian name, Cave of the Madonna. Enter the cave in modest dress.
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Esteklayl Mosque
The typically Ottoman Esteklayl Mosque is better maintained than the Al-Kebir Mosque, and it is still used for worship.
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Gan Ha'em
On the crest of Carmel is Gan Ha'em , a cool swath of greenery with an arcade of shops and cafés, and an amphitheatre which hosts summer evening concerts. The northern area of the park is given over to an extremely attractive small zoo. Within the grounds of the zoo you can also enter the M Stekelis Museum of Prehistory, the Biological Museum and the Natural History Museum.
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German Colony
At least once during your stay in Haifa, walk up Ben-Gurion Ave from Jaffa Rd and enjoy the splendour that is the German Colony backed by the cascading lights of the Baha'i Gardens. The colony (really just this street), was renovated in the 1990s into the city's premier address for shopping and dining, with many of its buildings restored and given plaques that describe the history of the area. Haifa's tourist information centre is also located here.
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Haifa Art Museum
The Haifa Art Museum is a museum of modern art, containing temporary multimedia displays created by local artists. The same ticket (good for three days) will also get you into the Haifa City Museum and the Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art.
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Haifa City Museum
Near the bottom of Ben-Gurion Ave is the Haifa City Museum , which displays revolving exhibitions by local artists. The building in which it is housed was once a conference hall and later served as a school.
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HaShaqet Beach
Ports tend to make a mess of the coast so it's not too surprising that Haifa's beaches are infamously toxic and strewn with garbage. You might want to try the religious HaShaqet Beach , located on the east side of Rambam Medical Centre, which is open to men Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and open to women Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Saturday is mixed.
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Hof HaCarmel Beach
Ports tend to make a mess of the coast so it's not too surprising that Haifa's beaches are infamously toxic and strewn with garbage. If you really fancy some sun-worshipping in Haifa, you should head for the much more attractive Hof HaCarmel Beach , in the south of the city. The beach has an inviting promenade with a number of restaurants and cafés, some of them upscale places serving steak and seafood. Folk dancing is held here on Saturdays ( February to June and July to January).
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M Stekelis Museum of Prehistory
Within the grounds of the zoo you can enter the M Stekelis Museum of Prehistory . Hours for the museum are the same as the zoo and one ticket is good for all the sites in the zoo grounds including the Biological Museum and the Natural History Museum.
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Mane Katz Museum
As you stroll behind the clutch of five-star hotels in the Carmet Centre you'll spot the entrance for the Mane Katz Museum . Mane Katz (1894-1962), an influential member of the group of Jewish Expressionists based in Paris earlier in the 20th century, was given this home by the Haifa city authorities in return for the bequest of his works to the city.
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National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum deals with the history of shipping in the Mediterranean area. The collection contains old maps, models of ancient ships, navigation equipment and bits and pieces of sunken ships. For around ₪45 you can buy a combo ticket for this museum, the Haifa Art Museum and the Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art.
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National Museum of Science, Planning & Technology
An exception to Hadar's shabbiness is the elegant 1920s concoction of European Orientalism that is the National Museum of Science, Planning & Technology . Sometimes referred to as the Technodea, the museum specialises in interactive exhibits, of which it has more than 250, and it's a great place to visit with children. Audio guides are available for a reasonable around ₪3 .
Read more about National Museum of Science, Planning & Technology
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Natural History Museum
Within the grounds of the zoo you can enter the Natural History Museum . Hours for the museum are the same as the zoo and one ticket is good for all the sites in the zoo grounds including the Biological Museum and the M Stekelis Museum of Prehistory.
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Nordau St
Pedestrianised Nordau St has become a favoured haunt of the city's Russian immigrant community, so much so that it now bears an uncanny resemblance to Moscow's Arbat.
